Paint is the least expensive way to change the look of a room, whether you want to modernize your living room or make your bedroom more serene. A fresh paint job enlivens a ho-hum interior, but picking the right color (or combination of colors) and figuring out where best to put it and how much to use can prove perplexing.

Dining Room Refresh

A palette of bold colors and do-it-yourself paint projects give this dining room a fresh look. We choose two shades of blue for the table and chairs and created a two-tone effect to add interest to the furniture. Separate the painted and non-painted portions of the chairs and table with painter’s tape. Semi-gloss paint works best on furniture because of it’s easy-to-clean finish, so apply several coats.

Color a Table
Unfinished wood is the perfect canvas for paint. Sand the surface lightly, remove the sanding dust with a tack cloth, and then spray the piece with one thin coat of primer and several thin coats of paint, allowing each coat to dry before adding the next. Protect the painted surface with two coats of polyurethane.

Craft a Place Setting
Chair backs coated with chalkboard paint provide erasable name “cards” for a dinner party. To take the theme even further, use the paint on a tray to create a menu board.

Update the Furniture
If the wood surface is already painted or varnished, remove dirt or wax buildup with a household cleaner and rinse. Sand rough areas and wipe away dust with a tack cloth. Apply two coats of stain-blocking primer and allow it to dry between coats. Roll or brush on two coats of latex paint in the direction of the wood grain. Use a brush to finish the surface with smooth strokes.

A New Life for Metal
Clean the surface with a stiff wire brush to remove flaking paint or rust. Wipe with a damp cloth and let it dry. Prime with metal primer and let dry, or use a paint specially formulated with rust inhibitors. Apply several thin coats of paint. If using spray paint, hold the can about 10 – 12 inches from the surface as you spray. Shake the can during the application to keep the color mixed. Spray lightly to avoid paint runs. [Read more →]

Create a warming orange living room

By painting both the skirting and the walls in Tuscan Terracotta we give the room an increased feeling of height. By doing this the wall looks like it travels all the way to the floor, rather than being chopped off by a pale skirting.

Create a welcoming family hall way

Because life is for living we have used Roasted Red on the walls in Dulux Endurance Matt finish which is ten times tougher than conventional paint. This makes it easy to remove stubborn stains, perfect in a busy hallway like this. We’ve teamed that with Antique Satin on the tongue and Grove and painted the Table with Crazy Cream.

Create a light & airy space

Keep your look simple, crisp and understated like we have here by combining Pacific Breeze on the walls with Absolute White on the window frame and setting the room off beautifully is this ultra-modern chair.

Create a feminine pink bedroom

We have chosen two toning pinks for this exuberant yet feminine bedroom. Sexy Pink on the right creates a feature wall and is complemented beautifully with Sweet Pink on the back wall and Strawberries ‘n’ Cream on the window frames

Home Color Scheme–Red(& Pink )and White

Pink Living Room Designs – Contemporary Style

Pink Theme For Your Girl’s Bedroom

Create a blue dressing room

For a very contemporary twist on a blue room, combine a soft blue such as First Dawn, with the cool grey quality of Illusion and Blue Chalk. Greys and blues look fabulous and work brilliantly in south facing rooms.

Country Style Decorating with Blue and White

Decorating a Bedroom with Blue and White

Modern Contemporary Living room Design: Blue and Orange

Color decorating ideas, to me, are just that: ideas to be played with. Through experimentation you will soon learn that, yes you can use deep plum on one wall and a deep pink on the other three walls, with a terracotta carpet to finish. With white for the ceiling, coving, fitted furniture and door, the room acquires a warm, welcoming ambience that is a delight to enter. Take other color decorating ideas to achieve a different ethos: four walls decorated in mint green, with white ceiling and coving and doorway and a cream carpet. Enter this room and you are enfolded in a sense of total calm and harmony that is almost soporific. The only accent in this room is three long mirrors laid horizontally along the back wall. Nothing else, but the room speaks volumes in holistic tranquility. Now, if I were to ask you to imagine this mint green room as described and then leave the room. Imagine closing the door behind you. Next time you enter that room a black vase has been placed on a bedside table. Inside that black vase is a single red flower. At the window is a set of cherry red blinds. The bed is now made up with a black duvet cover and a cherry red bed throw at the end of the bed. The color decorating ideas have not changed but the accessories have – and so has the ethos of the room. Gone is that soporific element of tranquility: this has been replaced by a sense of modern chic. All that has altered are the accessories. This is how you take the basic principles of color decorating ideas and alter them slightly to achieve alternative moods for each room. When you understand the rules, color decorating ideas can become fun and successful and never something to shy away from.

Home Decorating based on your Color Personality

Confused about selecting color for your home? Why not try choosing decorating colors based on your unique personality? I decided to have a bit of fun and searched out several websites that discuss color personality types.

The Pratt and Lambert color quiz was the most comprehensive color personality test of all those I reviewed. Taking into account not only color likes but other factors that make you uniquely you. This test was the only one that returned a color scheme that was very similar to my personal decorating style. I was impressed. According to the Pratt & Lambert site my color personality: [Read more →]

Decorating Ideas for The Winter

In winter, a different profile might go well with the mood. As the mercury level continues to slide down, freezing wind flows around, tress shade leaves and snow takes the control over roads and gardens, people start to feel low and depressed.

Try changing the interior design of your home to survive the winter blues. Take a special approach to decorate your home during winter. As nature goes grey and cold, it’s wise to pick a bright hue for your interior.

Go Colorful – Add colors to your home

Following the decorating color trends ensures that you are always on the cutting edge. Whether you are painting a room or just freshening up accessories following the latest color trends gives your room a modern edge. Here is how to find and implement the latest decorating color trends.

Decorating a Living Room with Blue, Green and White
July 30th, 2009 · 10 Comments

Whether your living room is a 21 foot length with a large picture window at one end or you live in a tiny apartment and the living room is bijou to say the least, there are living room décor ideas to suit you and your budget.
If I was choosing a color scheme for my living [...]

[Read more →]
Room Designs with Blue and Green
July 29th, 2009 · 2 Comments

Besides white, Blue and green are my favorite colors, when choosing color for your room, related color schemes result from combining secondary and tertiary colors. For instance, the colors blue-green and green will evoke a calming effect because there are no jarring changes in color.(White decor)

Venetian mirror and blue commode.

Gray green sitting room with a [...]

[Read more →]

[Read more →]

Besides white, Blue and green are my favorite colors, when choosing color for your room, related color schemes result from combining secondary and tertiary colors. For instance, the colors blue-green and green will evoke a calming effect because there are no jarring changes in color.(White decor)

Venetian mirror and blue commode.

Gray green sitting room with a blue green secretary.
Photos: John Kernick/House Beautiful

Living Room Color Ideas
May 23rd, 2009 · No Comments

Red, white and blue living room, a relax space.

Living rooms are where the stories of our lives are, well, lived, and the easiest way to revise those stories is with color. How to decide a color scheme for your living room?
Colorful Home Decor – An Italian Apartment
May 19th, 2009 ·
Orange in Kitchen
This is an Italian [...]

[Read more →]
Modern Room Color Schemes
May 5th, 2009 · 1 Comment

A modern room color scheme is simply a coordinated effort amongst all the colors in the room to create a group, or scheme that is noticeable from a distance.

Feature wall: A striking wall turns an ordinary room into an exceptional one. The intense richness of Redcurrant Glory on the fireplace in this image works brilliantly [...]

[Read more →]
A Blue And White Living Room
April 26th, 2009 · 1 Comment

Knowing how color will affect your emotional response will come in handy when choosing the mood of your living room. If you’re lucky enough to live in a period property with original features, painting the woodwork blue is actually an authentic look – just choose a colour from a heritage paint range. Furniture and accessories. [...]

[Read more →]

[Read more →]

The site is extremely long, narrow and steep. Courtyards are carved into the hillside for daylight and privacy. One enters at the center of the house.
The program is for a residence of approximately 6,700 SF, with a detached 3-car garage. The site is very steep, long and narrow – it’s 50’ wide by 400’ long with an average slope of 35%. Located on the west side of Mercer Island, there are panoramic views west towards Seattle and the Olympic Mountains beyond.


Structural Engineer: Jeff Albert
Mechanical Engineer: Rainbow Consulting
Landscape Architect: Alchemie (Bruce Hinckley)
Casework: Poliform
Contractor: EH Construction.
At the top of the exterior entry stair. Photograph by Tom Hille.

Architect Fearon Hay’s Own House – Fairy Tale House
June 13th, 2009 · 1 Comment
Fearon Hay has an excellent track record of inserting sympathetic slices of modernism into unbelievable landscapes. This is his own house in Te Kinga, beside the Lake Brunner.
Bathroom
Bedroom
Dining room
[Read more →]
Barragán Fountain House
January 8th, 2009 · 1 Comment

　　This house should probably be called the “Barragán Fountain House” considering all the attention it has received because of the fountain on the property, which just happens to have been designed by the famous Mexican architect Luis Barragán. the City of Los Angeles has declared the fountain to be a Historic Cultural Monument.
[...]
[Read more →]

[Read more →]